National Museum Day A Look at Food Museums in the United States

Each year, the International Council of Museums (ICOM) Advisory Committee proposes a theme that can be interpreted by museums to promote their issues within society. Due to Covid19, some of the museums may be closed or have limited hours. Check with the ICOM website to view virtual museums.

The museum is an institution for preserving and communicating the past, yet it is grounded in the present. It is a link between the generations, as it allows present and future generations to better comprehend their origins and history.

Resources.

Wikipedia - List of food and beverage museums

A Look at Food Museums
in the United States

The Southern Food and Beverage Museum

is a non-profit museum based in New Orleans, Louisiana with a mission to explore the culinary history of the American Southern states, to explain the roots of Southern food and drinks. Their exhibits focus on every aspect of food in the South, from the cultural traditions to the basic recipes and communities formed through food. The museum includes a full-service restaurant, a children's gallery, a culinary innovation center, an exhibit for every southern state, and a culinary library. While based in New Orleans, the Museum examines and celebrates all the cultures that have come together through the centuries to create the South’s unique culinary heritage. It brings all races and ethnicity to the table to tell the tale, from the farmer and the homemaker to the line cook and the celebrity chef. The Southern Food and Beverage Museum celebrates, interprets, investigates, entertains, and preserves. A collaboration of many, the Museum allows food lovers from all areas – Southerners and non-Southerners, locals and tourists, academics and food industry insiders - to pull up their chairs and dig into the food and drink of the South. And although based in New Orleans, they bring a message about the entire South to the world through exhibits, a collection of oral histories and videos, and other research. Address: 1504 Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard, New Orleans, Louisiana 70113

California Citrus State Historic Park 

is an open-air museum in the state park system of California, USA, interpreting the historic cultural landscape of the citrus industry. The park preserves some of the rapidly vanishing cultural landscape of the citrus industry and tells the story of the industry's role in the history and development of California. The park recaptures the time when "Citrus was King" in California, recognizing the importance of the citrus industry in southern California. Park address: 9400 Dufferin Ave., Riverside, CA 92504

Wilbur Chocolate Factory & Candy Americana Museum

The company's Wilbur Chocolate Factory in Lititz sells an assortment of Wilbur chocolates and other candy and features the free Candy Americana Museum that tells the history of the company and how their chocolate is made. The exhibits include antique chocolate molds, tins, and boxes, as well as hand-painted European and Oriental antique porcelain chocolate pots. The museum was created by Penny Buzzard, wife of former Wilbur president John Buzzard, and opened in 1972. Wilbur Chocolate Company, 48 North Broad Street, Lititz, PA 17543

The Idaho Potato Museum

is a museum devoted to the potato, located in Blackfoot, Idaho. The rich graphics showcasing the history of the potato will lead you through the revolution of the potato industry. From the original potato planted in Idaho to the largest potato crisp made by the Pringle’s Company in Jackson, TN. The Museum represents significant ties between the railroad and the potato industry and was built in 1912. The Potato Museum provides information on potato history, the growing and harvesting process, nutrition, trivia, and educational potato facts. The museum is located in downtown Blackfoot, Idaho at 130 NW Main St.  

The Maritime & Seafood Industry Museum (MSIM)

was established in 1986 to preserve and interpret the maritime history and heritage of Biloxi and the Mississippi Gulf Coast. It accomplishes this mission through an array of exhibits on shrimping, oystering, recreational fishing, wetlands, managing marine resources, charter boats, marine blacksmithing, wooden boat building, net-making, catboats/Biloxi skiff, shrimp peeling machine, and numerous historic photographs and objects. In August 2005, the Museum was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. The museum reopened in 2014. 

The Museum of Food and Drink

The National Dairy Shrine

The shrine promotes the dairy industry and records its history. The National Dairy Shrine's museum contains exhibits about the history of dairying. Dairying objects in its collection include butter churns, milking machines, a treadle, and items used in the Babcock test for the fat content of milk, which was developed nearby at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. National Dairy Shrine brings together dairy producers, scientists, students, educators, marketers, and others who share a desire to preserve our dairy heritage and keep the dairy industry strong. It was founded in 1949. National Dairy Shrine Museum / Hoard Historical Museum, 401 Whitewater Avenue, Fort Atkinson, WI 53538

The National Mustard Museum

is a museum in the heart of downtown Middleton, Wisconsin. It boasts a large display of prepared mustards. It is often featured in lists of unusual museums in the United States. The museum was conceived and founded by Barry Levenson, former Assistant Attorney General of Wisconsin. It centers on a mustard collection he began in 1986. The initial dozen jars have grown to a collection of more than 5,624 mustards from all 50 states and more than 70 countries. The collection includes exquisite Gibbons Collection of mustard pots to antique tins & jars and vintage advertisements. Address: 7477 Hubbard Avenue, Middleton, WI 53562. 

Stamp Out Hunger with the National Association of Letter Carriers

On Saturday, May 9, 2026, the National Association of Letter Carriers will do its part to Stamp Out Hunger across America. Now in its 34th year, the Stamp Out Hunger effort is the nation's largest single-day food drive, having collected more than 1 billion pounds of food since its inception in 1993. In 2012, Americans donated more than 70 million pounds of food, marking the ninth consecutive year that at least 70 million pounds were collected. 


The Stamp Out Hunger food drive provides food to local food banks and pantries that rely on donations. With more than 50 million Americans at risk of hunger, food banks nationwide continue to experience record demand for emergency food assistance.

Donate items, such as canned meats, fish, soup, bottled juice, vegetables, pasta, cereal, and rice that do not require refrigeration. Please do not include expired items or glass containers.

Help out

Place non-perishable food products in a bag and leave
them on your mailbox. Your Letter Carrier will deliver
the food to local food banks.

To find out how you can help, go to

Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive

Herb Day

Herb Day

Instead of salt, use herbs, spices, lemon juice, and/or vinegar to enhance the taste of your food. The health benefits are life-long.

Enhance the Flavor of Foods with Herbs

Wikipedia has provided an extensive list of culinary herbs and spices. The list does not contain salt (which is a mineral) or plants used primarily as herbal teas or medicinal herbs. Explore the different flavors and cultures.

Tips for Selecting and Storing Herbs and Spices

Spice it Up with
Susan Bowerman, MS, RD, CSSD

World Day for Safety and Health at Work Foodborne Disease Control and Prevention

"Worldwide, occupational diseases continue to be the leading cause of work-related deaths. According to ILO estimates, out of 2.34 million occupational fatalities every year, only 321,000 are due to accidents. The remaining 2.02 million deaths are caused by various types of work-related diseases, which correspond to a daily average of more than 5,500 deaths. This is an unacceptable Decent Work deficit.

The inadequate prevention of occupational diseases has profound negative effects not only on workers and their families but also on society at large due to the tremendous costs that it generates; particularly, in terms of loss of productivity and burdening of social security systems."

On Apr 28, 1970 (signed into law in 1971) was the founding of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

Safety in Restaurants

Slips and Falls

Foodborne Disease OSHA Standards

Control and Prevention

Control of foodborne diseases is based on avoidance of contaminated food, destruction of contaminants, and prevention of further spread of contaminants. Prevention is dependent upon proper cooking and storing practices, and personal hygiene of food handlers.

The quality of food and controls used to prevent foodborne diseases are primarily regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and local public health authorities. These diseases may be occupationally related if they affect the food processors (e.g., poultry processing workers), food preparers and servers (e.g., cooks, waiters), or workers who are provided food at the worksite.

Section 5(a)(1) of the OSHA Act, often referred to as the General Duty Clause, requires employers to "furnish to each of his employees employment and a place of employment which are free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to his employees". Section 5(a)(2) requires employers to "comply with occupational safety and health standards promulgated under this Act".

Note
No, Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA Act), also known as the General Duty Clause, has not been substantively changed since the Trump administration. However, the Trump administration did focus on rolling back existing regulations and slowing down the development of new ones, which could have indirectly affected the interpretation and enforcement of Section 5(a)(1). 

Resources

1. Slip, Trip, and Fall Prevention for Healthcare Workers - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

National Office
U.S. Department of Labor
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
200 Constitution Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20210

MyPlate Dairy Group - Choose Low-Fat or Fat-Free Dairy

Ever Wonder about Milk's Journey
from Farm to Glass.

MyPlate - Dairy Food Group

What foods are in the Dairy Group?

Nutrients and Variety from the Dairy Group

Comparing Dairy and Dairy-Free Alternatives 

Yogurt with Fruit Parfaits

International Women's Day

"Each year, International Women's Day (IWD) is celebrated on March 8. Thousands of events occur not just on this day but throughout March to mark women's economic, political, and social achievements. Organizations, governments, charities, educational institutions, women's groups, corporations, and the media celebrate the day. Many groups worldwide choose different themes each year that are relevant to global and local gender issues.

2026 Theme:  “Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls”, calls for action to dismantle all barriers to equal justice: discriminatory laws, weak legal protections, and harmful practices and social norms that erode the rights of women and girls."

Imagine a gender-equal world.
A world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination.
A world that's diverse, equitable, and inclusive.
A world where difference is valued and celebrated.
Together, we can forge women's equality.
Collectively, we can all #BreakTheBias.
Celebrate women's achievements. Raise awareness against bias. 

International Women’s Day

Time Magazine First Published on March 3, 1923 A look at Food and Nutrition through the Pages of Time

TIME was first published on March 3, 1923, as a news magazine that summarized and organized the news. Here are some articles and cover stories from Time Magazine focusing on Food and Nutrition. 

Monday, Oct. 08, 1923, Medicine: Vitamin X.  Discovered by Dr. Herbert M. Evans and Dr. Katharine S. Bishop, of the University of California.* They call it "; Vitamin X." "Vitamins," now so popular, were unknown ten years ago. They cannot be seen or weighed. They came to light only when it was found diets are not providing proper nourishment, and in some cases, deficiencies would occur, such as scurvy, beriberi, and pellagra.

Monday, Mar. 31, 1924, Medicine: Vitamin D.  Dr. Walter H. Eddy, Professor of Physiological Chemistry in Teachers' College, Columbia University showed a group of his colleagues four test tubes containing 70 milligrams of a crystalline substance, Vitamine D. Their work may lay a basis for future synthetic foods to form a scientific diet, though the authentic vitamin scientists have nothing but condemnation for the various commercial tablets, cakes, etc., now on the market. The best diet can still be secured from natural foods.

Monday, Jun. 09, 1941, Medicine: The Nation's Food.  Nine hundred doctors, dietitians, chemists, and industrialists met in Washington last week to tackle an immense problem: the U.S. diet. As a whole, the U.S. today is better fed than any other nation, but at least 45,000,000 people in the U.S. are undernourished. Another 50,000,000 people drag along on four cylinders but cut a good five years off their work life by not eating the right foods. Of the 35,000,000 remainings, quite a few suffer from overeating.

Monday, Aug. 06, 1956, Medicine: Crazy About Reducing
U.S. experts on diets and reducing are in a tizzy. For years they had been preaching the gospel that the only way to reduce is to cut down the amount of fuel (expressed as the number of calories) stoked into the body.



Friday, Nov. 25, 1966, Food: Everyone's in the Kitchen.
Julia Child, 54, is the 6-ft.-2-in.-tall star of the Emmy-winning half-hour program, The French Chef. Her viewers on 104 educational TV stations across the U.S. watch her every move, forgive her every gaffe, and, in a word, adore her.

Dec 18, 1972, The Perils of Eating, American Style

Whether they are simply trying to get thin, or whether they are pursuing health or even salvation through diet, Americans are perhaps more preoccupied than any other nation with what to eat, what not to eat, how to eat, and even when.

Monday, Sep. 17, 1973, FOOD: The Burger That Conquered the Country

The destiny of nations depends on the manner in which they nourish themselves. - The Physiology of Taste, Jean Brillat-Savarin (1826).  If so, America's destiny manifestly depends to no small degree on the hamburgers, French fries, and milkshakes served beneath the golden arches of McDonald's. Last year the chain of drive-ins and restaurants rang up sales of $1.03 billion, passing the U.S. Army (1972 food volume: $909 million) as the nation's biggest dispenser of meals.

Monday, Nov. 02, 1981, Diet and Exercise Dangers.  Regular exercise is good for heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, and metabolism. Says Jim Barnard, research cardiologist at U.C.L.A.: "It's similar to tuning up your car's engine to make the car run more efficiently." The vigorous physical effort helps release tension too. But it can also do a lot of damage, especially if the athlete is a neophyte or weekend warrior, both of whom tend to try to do too much too soon.

Dieting poses a whole set of different hazards, especially the quickie weight-losing schemes that separate U.S. dieters from a few pounds each year. Among the current In diets are the Pritikin, the Atkins, and the Beverly Hills Diet. Nutrition experts insist that many fad diets are not really diets at all but bizarre and temporary ways of depriving the subject of adequate nutrition.

Mar 15, 1982, Salt: A New Villain?   KILLER SALT screams the book cover from a huge display of volumes with titles like Shake the Salt Habit!, Cooking Without a Grain of Salt and Halt! No Salt. These days they are selling in the hundreds of thousands.

Mar 26, 1984, Hold the Eggs and Butter.  Cholesterol is proved deadly, and our diet may never be the same This year began with the announcement by the Federal Government of the results of the broadest and most expensive research project in medical history. Its subject was cholesterol.

Dec 24, 1990, Health: Red Alert on Red Meat. The link between high-fat diets and colon cancer gets stronger.

Jul 15, 1991, The Fight over Food Labels. By launching a holy war against misleading claims, the government could clear up some of the confusion on supermarket shelves and help Americans become healthier consumers.

Apr 06, 1992, The New Scoop On Vitamins.  They may be much more important than doctors thought in warding off cancer, heart disease, and the ravages of aging, and, no, you may not be getting enough of these crucial nutrients in your diet.

Jan 08, 1996, HEALTH: ARE WE READY FOR FAT-FREE FAT?

The FDA is about to decide whether you can eat these chips. They are fried in a fake oil that can't make you fat. Dip, Anyone?

Nov 01, 1999, The Low-Carb Diet Craze. Fad diets come and go, but this one is exploding. Can you really lose weight by feasting on beef, eggs, and bacon? And should you?

Jan 21, 2002, 10 Foods That Pack A Wallop. Eat, drink, and be healthy! Scientists are rapidly identifying the natural chemicals that give a preventive punch to a rainbow of ordinary edibles.

Jul 15, 2002, Should We All Be Vegetarians? Would we be healthier? Would the planet? The risks and benefits of a meat-free life.

Jul 07, 2003, Cracking The Fat Riddle. Should you count calories or carbs? Is dietary fat your biggest enemy? The latest research may surprise you.

Oct 20, 2003, Health: How to Eat Smarter. In a world that is raining food, making healthy choices about what and how to eat is difficult. Here are some rules to live by.

Jun 07, 2004, America's Obesity Crisis: Activists: The Obesity Warriors  What will it take to end this epidemic? These experts are very glad you asked.

Jun 11, 2007, The Science of Appetite

Jul 18, 2011, The Future of Fish

Sep 12, 2011, What to eat now.

Dec 3, 2012, What to eat now. The anti-food-snob diet by Dr. Mehmet Oz.

Nov 11, 2013, Want to Stay Healthy? Don’t Rely on Vitamins

Nov 20, 2013, Eat Nuts, Live Longer

Nov 22, 2013, Dieters Subsist on Cotton Balls in Horrible New Weight-Loss Trend

Dec 05, 2013, Eating Healthy Is Cheaper Than You Think

Dec 10, 2013, Sugar Crush: Why Diet Soda Sales Have Crashed

Dec 16, 2013, The Triple Whopper Environmental Impact of Global Meat Production

Jan 06, 2014, How the Mediterranean Diet Alone Can Fight Diabetes

Jan 07, 2014, Feds Crack Down On Deceiving Weight Loss Products

Jan 08, 2014, Is Olive Garden Healthier Than McDonald’s? Maybe Not

Jan 09, 2014, These 4 Shady Weight Loss Companies Were Forced to Issue Huge Refunds

Jan 16, 2014, Good News! We’re Eating Healthier (at Least at Home)

Jan 20, 2014 Chocolate, Tea, and Berries: How to Fight Diabetes With Food

Jan 24, 2014, FDA Revising Food Nutrition Labels

Jan 28, 2014, New Worry for College Students: Food Insecurity

Feb 06, 2014, What Happens When Your Body Loses Half Its Weight?

Feb 10, 2014, The FDA's Label Lift

Feb 20, 2014, 4 Diet Secrets of the U.S. Olympics Women’s Hockey Team

Feb 24, 2014, The Pizza Stimulus

Feb 25, 2014, White House Sets New Limits on Junk Food Ads in Schools

Feb 26, 2014, The 10 Most Filling Foods for Weight Loss

Apr 15, 2015, Baby Food Recalled for Containing Glass

Apr 23, 2015, The Trouble With Foods Kids See Advertised on TV

Oct 14, 2015, You Asked: Should I Count Calories?

Jan 04, 2016, Healthier School Lunch Rules Are Working, Study Finds

Jan 07, 2016, 92% of Restaurant Meals Have Too Many Calories: Study.

Jan 08, 2016 Experts Say Lobbying Skewed the U.S. Dietary Guidelines

Jan 26, 2016, Our Official Dietary Guidelines Are Useless

Feb 02, 2016, What Your Low-Fiber Diet Does to Your Health

Feb 03, 2016, 20 Everyday Habits That Sabotage Weight Loss Goals

Feb 12, 2016, This Is What Vegan Means

Feb 23, 2016, This Is Why Vegetarianism Didn’t Catch on Until Recently

June 29, 2016 Butter is Not Linked to Heart Disease, Death, and Diabetes. 

Mar 01, 2016, Cheaper Healthy Food Would Save Millions of Lives

Feb 28, 2017, 12 Healthy Eating Hacks Nutritionists Use Every Day

Jun 5, 2017, The Weight Loss Trap: Why Your Diet Isn’t Working

Nov 01, 2017, Happy World Vegan Day! Here Are 5 Health Benefits of Going Vegan

Nov 17, 2017, About 90% of Americans Don't Eat Enough Fruits and Vegetables.

Nov 22, 2017, 3 Reasons Why Coffee Is So Good for You

Feb 26, 2018, The Surprising Secrets to Living Longer — And Better

Mar 1, 2018, 5 Dietitians on the One Nutrition Tweak You Should Make

Mar 15, 2018, There’s No Such Thing as a Single 'Best' Diet 

Aug 16, 2018, Eating This Many Carbs Is Linked to a Longer Life 

Oct 3, 2018, Almost 40% of Americans Eat Fast Food on Any Given Day, Report Says 

Oct 18, 2018, These Are the Best High-Fiber Foods, According to Experts 

Dec 4, 2018, Here's One Simple Way You Can Start Eating Healthier 

Dec 5, 2018, Are Eggs Healthy? Here’s What Experts Say 

Dec 19, 2018, Diet and Exercise Might Reverse Aging in the Brain 

Jan 2, 2019, These Are the 5 Best Diets for 2019, According to Experts 

Feb 23, 2019, Why Food Could Be the Best Medicine of All 

Feb 26, 2019, Confused By Expiration Dates? You’re Not Alone. Here’s What They Really Mean

April 3, 2019 Diets Are Linked to 20% of Deaths Worldwide

April 8, 2019 Vitamins and Supplements Can't Replace a Balanced Diet, Study Says

May 15, 2019, Are Onions and Garlic Healthy? Here's What Experts Say

Sept 30, 2019, Should You Stop Eating Red Meat? 

Dec 16, 2019, Why Your 2020 New Year's Health or Fitness Resolution Might Be Proven Outdated by 2030

Jan 2, 2020,  Countless People Are Struggling With an Eating Disorder Doctors Can't Diagnose

Mar 18, 2020, How to Stay Physically and Mentally Healthy While COVID-19 Has You Stuck at Home

Apr 28, 2020, Our Diets Are Changing Because of the Coronavirus Pandemic. Is It for the Better?

Aug 26, 2020, How Growing Food Can Change Your Life, According to Gardener Ron Finley

Apr 28, 2022. Does Taking Vitamins and Supplements Make You Healthier? Vitamins, dietary supplements, and botanicals are increasingly popular, but scant evidence supports their use for most people.

Jun 16, 2022. The Truth About Fasting and Type 2 Diabetes - Most fad diets don't live up to the hype, let alone serious scientific scrutiny. But intermittent fasting is an exception.

Dec 28, 2022. What IBD Patients Want Their Doctors to Know. Doctors could help people with IBD by making it a point to better discuss issues like mental health and nutrition…

Jan 9, 2023. Why Ultra-Processed Foods Are So Bad for You. Growing research suggests that ultra-processed foods—the kind you find on grocery store shelves—may pose health risks. Here's what to avoid.

Jan 20, 2023. Time You Eat Doesn't Matter For Weight Loss, Study Finds. A new study finds that what time you eat meals doesn't matter for weight loss—what's important is the amount you eat.

February 28, 2023 Magnesium Supplements Are a Buzzy New Sleep and Anxiety Aid. Do They Work? Haley Weiss

  

Pamper Your Pup with Homemade Treats Dog Biscuit Appreciation Day

Recipe

Whip up some delightful homemade treats for your dog with just three easy-to-find, pet-safe ingredients. These simple-to-make cookies can be shaped into adorable doggy designs like bones for fun or quickly formed into small, flattened balls if time is tight. Ensure your peanut butter is free from added sugars, oils, and particularly Xylitol, which is harmful to dogs.

Banana Bliss Biscuits for Barkers

Easy 3-Ingredient Dog Treats Yields: 20-24 biscuits. Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups gluten-free old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1/2 cup natural peanut butter (check for no Xylitol!)
• 1 large ripe banana (or 2 mediums), mashed

How to Make Them:

• Preheat your oven to 350°F and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Pulse the rolled oats in a blender until they resemble fine flour, or use pre-made oat flour. Set this aside.
• In a big bowl, combine the peanut butter and mashed banana thoroughly. Mix in the oat flour until you achieve a thick, cohesive dough. If it's too dry, mix in 2-4 tablespoons of peanut butter until the dough is sticky yet workable.
• Flatten the dough to about a 1/4 inch thickness and cut out shapes with a doggie-themed cookie cutter. For a quicker option, shape the dough into small balls (about 1 tablespoon each) and press them down to form simple round cookies.
• Bake for about 15 minutes or until the bottoms are slightly golden. Let them cool for 10-15 minutes – if you can wait – before treating your dog.
• Store these tasty treats in a sealed container; they'll keep fresh for up to two weeks.

Treat your four-legged friend to these healthy, homemade snacks and watch their tail wag joyfully!

From Cherries to Chowder, explore the Presidential Palate.

Every president has his favorite foods. And it doesn't take long for the nation to become captivated with a president's eating habits - with Ronald Reagan, it was jelly beans; Jimmy Carter munched peanuts; George W. Bush loved pretzels; Trump likes fatty fast foods, and Joe Biden delights in ice cream.

Reference

Food Timeline American Presidents' Food Favorites